This Weeks Geek - Remastered
/Welcome to a remastered version of This Weeks Geek! In this edition you will get almost the exact same thing you normally get, but in an HD text format! OK, that is all a lie, but it brings me into what something that is becoming more relevant in video games, taking a popular game from an older console and remaking it for the new generation. We have seen this with Halo, Kingdom Hearts and now The Last of Us. But is this really something we want, or is it just a cheap(ish) way to make us buy the same game twice?
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Left: Nintendo 64 Original Version
Right: Nintendo 3DS Remastered Version
First I am going to talk about the pros of remastering a game. There are some legendary games that cannot be found anymore, at least not on realistic budget. So games like Resident Evil being remastered for all current systems being released next year is a great thing. People will be able to experience what made series what it is. There is also the bonus of new content and updated graphics. Examples of this can be seen in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time with Hero Mode and the ability to go back and fight bosses again. These are both examples of when remastering is a good thing.
Image from Gamepur
So if remastering games brings back classics, how can it be a bad thing? Well it seems like it may be happening too soon in some cases. A prime example of this is The Last of Us. The The Last of Us is a really good game that was critically acclaimed and even has some DLC now. The remastering of this game brought the graphics up a notch and, from what I have read, improved the controls a bit and provided the DLC. Intact it is a great game to remaster, but is only a little over a year old. Is it really necessary to remaster a game that young? No, I don't believe so. Sure it was a great excuse to move a game from the PS3 to the PS4, but it just reeks of a money grab.
With all that said, I don't typically have a problem with video games being remastered. As I said earlier, it allows for older games to reach a new group of gamers that were either not around when they first came out, didn’t have the correct system, or just did not buy it when they had the opportunity. I myself need to bet the remastered Kingdom Hearts so I can experience it. And there you have. See later geeks.